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11.7.16

Brianna Cope: Making Waves

Surfer Brianna Cope is one athlete you can’t help but admire. She’s confident, determined, and inspiring. If her down-to-earth personality doesn’t strike you, then her talent and strength as an elite surfer will.

From a young age, Cope’s drive was fueled by a spirit of competition with her older sister. “I always wanted to do what she did. She wanted to surf, I wanted to surf, and I always wanted to be better than she was,” Cope said. “Surfing with her made me push myself, and having her as my coach gave me a really healthy competitiveness.”

That healthy competition with her sister would turn into a passion and career in surfing.

“My favorite part of surfing is how every wave is different. You never ride the same one and you’re the boss of what you get to do on that wave. You get to feel mother nature — it’s really indescribable.”

Brianna Cope

Surfer

On top of her passion for the sport, Cope also enjoys the special opportunities surfing provides her. This year she broke boundaries and became one of Under Armour’s first female surfers. Cope now has an outlet to show she’s as elite as any athlete. “Being a surfer, people think, ‘Oh she just hangs out in her bikini all day,’ when I actually work out — being a part of Under Armour shows that strong, empowering side of me.”

Cope’s training regimen is so intensive that one can’t help but marvel at it. On top of spending six to seven hours in the water surfing, she works out in the gym strength training. “I spend a lot of time doing strength work and mobility drills,” she said. “It really helps you become more confident in the water when your legs have the strength to push the board.”

Above all, surfing gives Cope the opportunity to be an inspiration to others, no matter which sport they play. She has a huge presence on social media where she encourages her followers. “The one thing I would say to my fans is to believe in yourself and never change,” Cope said. “Embrace your weirdness. Embrace being different. It’s really important, especially in a world where everyone wants you to be the same.”